Ribbed-sheet-metal-expanding machine.



H. E. WHITE.

RIBBED SHEET METAL EXPANDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1912. L 125,? 6, Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEET '1.

WITNESSES: H E .WH IT E, I/NVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

H. 13. WHITE. RIBBED SHEET METAL EXPANDING MACHINE. APPLIGATIONJILEDMAR. 13, 1912.

1,125,786. Patented Jan.19, 1915.

6 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES.-

ATTORIVEY.

WITNESSES H. E. WHITE.

RIBBED SHEET METAL EXPANDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 13, 1912.

1, 125,8& 7 Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ATTORNEY.

H. E. WHITE. RIBBBD SHEET METAL EXPANDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1912.

1,1Q5fi86. Patented Jan.19, 1915.

6 SHEETSSHEET 4.

, v N m WITNESSES v H. E.WH-q TIE-1,

ATTORNEY.

H. E. WHITE.

RIBBED SHEET METAL EXPANDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1912.

G SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESSES: I H. E..WH IT E nvmvrol? ATTORNEY H. E. WHITE. RIBBED SHEETMETAL EXPANDING MACHINE.

' APPLIOATION FILED MAILIS, 1912.

1,125,786. Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

6 SHEETSSHEET-6.

WITNESSES: H. E,WH n'E, INVENTOR- @m .ATT ORNEY.

UNITED STATES FATENT' oFFIoE.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Youngstown, in the county and State of Ohio, have lnventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Ribbed; Sheet-Metal-ExpandingMachine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the general subject of machines for preparingand forming sheet metal products, and more particularly to theproduction of ribbed sheet metal structures possessing special utilityas a metal lath, or as a centering form in connection with reinforcedconcrete for building and other purposes.

metal expanding machine having special- 2o To this end, the inventioncontemplates a simple and practical construction of sheet advantages inperforming its part of the process of developing and producing that typeof expanded sheet metal product known on the market as the ribbeddiamond lath. In this connection, the invention embodies means forexpanding ribbed metal sheets in a rapid and economical manner, aftersuch sheets have been premilimarily stiffened and grooved by means suchas disclosed in my Patent No. 1,056,962, dated March 25, 1913, andpreliminarily slitted and upset by means such for instance as disclosedin Patent No. 1,049,632, granted Jan. 7, 1913.

A special obiect of the invention is to provide a machine whose functionis to effect a rapid and uniform expanding action on the ribbed sheetmetal blank, wherein the reticulated web portions between the ribs havebeen produced by longitudinally disposed slits or cuts disposed parallelto the ribs, and to accomplish the expanding action upon such sheetwithout placing undue or excessive strain on any part thereof. Also, adistinctive object of the invention, in this same connection, is to notonly secure a rapid and uniform expansion of the reticulated webportions of the sheet, but also to strengthen the edges of the rib wallsand safeguard the sheet from fracture along the l ne of cut contiguousto the edge of the .bs. In other. words, the present invent'hn includesmeans for producing what may be termed, a back-turned reinforce bead atthe edges of the rib walls, the reverse turn or bend of these beadsservingto throw Specification of Letters Patent.

of Mahoning the edges thereof out of the line of cut, and

hence obviating any tendency of the receased.

With these and other objects in view which will readily appear to thosefamiliar with the art, the same consists in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described,illustrated and claimed.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of an expanding machineembodying the present invention, the view indicating one of the feedingand expanding units that are repeated to any desired number according tothe area of the expansion desired, said view also showing the provisionof a pair of delivery rolls for giving final set to the expanded sheet.Fig. 2 is an elevation of the feeding end portion of the machine. Fig. 3is a front end view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of thestationary expanding guide constituting the intermediate member of eachfeeding and expandingunit of the machine. Fig. 5 is a sectional view ofone of the feeding and expanding units on the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6is an enlarged detail sectional view of a section of one pair of feedrolls, having the die elements for giving form and set to the reinforceede'e beads atithe edges of the rib walls. Fig. 7 is an enla ged detailview showing a pair of the guiding members of the stationary expandingguide, the view also indicating the feature of the pass between theupper and lower members of the guide being slightly above the level ofwhat may be termed the pass between the upper and lower feed rolls. Fig.8 is an enlarged sectional view of a section of the combined deliveryand setting rolls on the line of section 88 of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is asectional ,view and'Fig. 1,0 is a plan view of an ex- Patenteddan. 19,1915."

Application filed March 13, 1812. Serial No. 683,570.

panded reticulated sheet metal blank in the form given to it by passingthrough the exanding machine claimed herein, F1g.--11 1s a plan view ofa ribbed and slitted blank in the formin which it is etail sectionalview of a fragment of the ribbed and slitted sheet on the hne 12- -12 ofFig. 11.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures ofthe drawings.

The improved machine embodies in its oranization a-machine stand orframe des: ignated inits entirety by the numeral 1,

,and designed to have mounted therein any ing, and a stationaryexpanding guide between said pairs of rolls. The pairs of feed rollsrespectively actas feeders for the expanding guide in advance thereof,and .as delivery or drawing means for the expanding guide in rearthereof, but. consldering this combination as one working unit of themachine, which is repeated in any desired number, it will be observedparticularly from'Fig. 5 of the drawings that each pair of feed rollsconsists of upper and lower rolls 2 and 3, respectively, which arearranged in superposed relation, and are provided with a series ofregularly spaced an nular feeding collars 4 and 5, respectively. andwhich collars correspond in number and spacing to the ribs of the sheetmetal blank as will presently more fullyappear.

A feature of practical importance in connection with the presentinvention is the die formation of the complemental collars- 4 and'5.That is to say, the collars 5 of the lower roll 3, of each pair, areprovided therein with the open peripheral approximately V-s hapedgrooves 6 to seat therein the ribs of the sheet metal blank, and at theouter edges of the groove walls in the collars 5, the latter areprovided with the former-horns-7 having inclined outer faces andconstituting fulcrum points lying opposite shaping grooves 8, which areprovided the collars 4 of the upper roll at the base and opposite sidesof peripheral projecting holdingtongues 9, that extend into the seatinggrooves 6 of thecomplemental collars 5. In order to secure a positivedie action by means of the elements referred to, each of the collars 4of the upper roll is also provided at the outer sides of the shapingfedto the improved expanding machine. "Fig. 12 -18 a niaavse.

groove 8 with marginal angular die projections 10, overlying the outerinclined .faces of the horns 7, as plainly-appears in Fig. 6

of the drawings.

The stationaryiexpanding guide between 13 and 14. The lower member 12 ofeach pair of guide members is provided therein with a guiding groove 15'for a rib of the sheet metal blank, while the upper member 11pairedtherewith is truncated as at 16 to provide a fiat head overlyingthe horns of the member 12 and serving to maintain the form of the sheetmetal blank, while at the same time offering a reduced frictionalresistance to its passage through the guide. From Figs. 6 and 7 of thedrawings, it will be observed that the pass between the upper and lowermembers of'the expanding guides is slightly raised bove the plane orlevel of the pass betwe the upper and lower feed rolls 2 and 3, with theresult of causing the edge portions of the ribs of the sheet metal blankto closely hug the horns of the lower guide members 12, so-that the setof such edge portions is maintained.

The ex'pandin effect on the metal blank is accomplished y having thepaired members of the guide divergently arranged, and the collars of the-opposite pairs of feed rolls correspondingly spaced, as plainly shownin Fig. 101 the drawings.

At the end of the series of feeding and expanding units made up of therolls 2 and 3, and the expanding guides G, there is located a pair-ofcombined delivery and setting rolls 1718 arranged in superposed relationand having complemental collars 19 and 20 of substantially the sameconstruction as the collars 4: and5 of the feed rolls .2 and 3, in orderto maintain the form and give set to the bead formation at the'edges ofthe rib walls adjoining the reticulated expanded web. In other words,the collars 20 of the delivery rollsare provided with the rib seatinggrooves 21, and. former horns 22,'while the collars 19 are provided withthe peripheral holding tongues 23, shaping grooves 24, at the bases ofthe tongues, and the marginal die projections 25, of the same characterand bearing the same relation as the corresponding elements of the feedrolls.

In addition to these elements, a distinctive feature of the deliveryrolls is that of providing the upper roll'17 with a plurality ofdepressing collars 26, alternating with the collars 19 and adapted tohave. a bearingdown engagement with the central portion of thereticulated expanded webs of the metal sheet for the purpose ofstraining such expanded portions downward slightly below their normalplane, so that when the said portions spring back they naturally resumea substantially flat plane with reference to the ribs of the metalsheet. This provides definite means for straightening out, andcorrecting buckling-in, the expanded web portions of the sheet when theexpanding action has ceased. Other delivery rolls of the sameconstruction with straight guides between them may be repeated beyondthe first pair of rolls if so desired.

The metal sheet to be acted upon by this machine is in the form shown inFigs. 11 and 12 of the drawings, the same being provided withlongitudinally extending ribs 27 and longitudinally slitted web portions28 which have the arched form shown in Fig. 6 and indicated in Fig. 12.However, the ribbed and slitted sheet to by the expanding mechanism isprovided at the edges of the rib walls with marginal flanges 29, whichare disposed at substantially right angles to the longitudinal plane ofthe ribs 27. This design of metal sheet is fed to the first set of thefeed rolls 2 and 3 over a feeding table 30, at the feeding-in end of themachine. These first rolls 2 and 3 have the die action plainly shown inFig. 6. This action consists in the bendingdown of the said marginalflanges 29 over the former horns 7, thus converting said flanges intoback-turnedreinforced heads at the margins or edges of the rib wall. Thereverse turn or bend of these beads serves tothrow .the edges thereofout of the line of strain incident to the expanding and straighteningout of the slitted reticulated web portions 28 of the sheet metal blank,thereby obviating any tendency of such web portions to tear away alongthe line of longitudinal cuts at the edge flanges of the ribs. Thesebeads also serve to stiffen the ribs both laterally and vertically.Suceeding feed-rolls maintain and give set to said marginal beads andthe diverging guide members between the said rolls automatically expandthe sheet I claim: r 1. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet as it isfed through them.

'metal including an expanding device, and a feeding device, the latterhaving die elements comprising means for producing reinforce beads atthe flanged edges of the rib walls."

2. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet metal including an expandingdevice, and i a feeding'device, the latter having die elementscomprising means for producing back-turned reinforce beads at theflanged I edges of the rib walls.

3. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet ,tween said pairs of rolls andhaving be acted upon metal including an expanding device, and a feedingdevice, the latter having die elements comprising means for producingreinforce beads with a reverse bend to throw the edges out of the lineof strain incident to the expanding action.

4. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet metal including a feeding andexpanding unit consisting of opposite pairs of feed rolls and astationary expanding guide 3e- 1. verging guide members, the said feedrolls having die elements for imparting a reverse bend to the marginalflanges of the rib walls.

5. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet metal including an expandingdevice, and upper and lower feed rolls, the lower feed roll havingannular collars provided with peripheral groove and former horns at thesides of the grooves, and the upper feed roll having annular collarsprovided with pe ripheral holding tongues, opposite, shaping grooves atthe bases of said tongues, and angular die projections at the outermargins of said shaping grooves. 1

6. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet metal including opposite pairsof feed rolls, and a stationary expanding die between said pairs ofrolls, and havingdlverging upper and lower paired guide mem bers, eachlower guide member having a rib receiving and guiding groove, and eachupper guide member having a truncated head overlying the horns of thelower member, and the passes between the upper and lower members of theguide lying in a horizontal plane that is higher than thehoriz'ontalplane of the passes between the feed rolls.

7. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet metal including an expandingdevice, a feeding device, and a device located beyond the expandingmechanism and having depressing means arranged to engage the expandedweb portions of the sheet between each pair of ribs thereof.

8. An expanding machine for ribbed sheet metal including an expandingdevice, a feeding device, and a pair of delivery rolls located beyondthe expanding mechanism and having passes corresponding to those of theexpanding mechanism and also provided with depressing collars arrangedto depress the expanded web portions below their normal plane.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afi'ix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

. HERBERT E. WVHITE.

Witnesses: I

O. D. KAIsnR, H- R. GLENN.

